Traditionally, all surboards required a stringer (stiffener) to strengthen the core of surfboards. Without a stringer, (always centrally placed down the middle of a blank), the core became too flexible and too prone to breakage. Stringers have usually been wood. The best stringers are made from knot-free milled timber chosen for strength, not brittle, usually a blond wood such as American basswood.  Australian blank manufacturers have mostly used ply stringers, which have served them well. US Blanks best selling stringer is unidirectionally milled basswood in a range of sizes.Stringers can also come in varous other woods such as Birch, Redwood, Laminated Ply, Cedar and Balsa.

 

The most common stringer of choice is 1/8" Basswood. This is unidirectionally milled, giving strength over the next most popular stringer, 4mm ply. (US Blanks Ply stringers are also unidirectionally milled, making them far stronger than peel ply stringers). Stringer sizes can increase in 1/32" (1mm) increments, but we usually increase in 1/16" (2mm) increments. 4mm uni-ply and 1/8" (4mm) basswood are usually more than adequate for surfboards up to 6'02". Then its a clear trade off between strength and weight. You have to chose. We can make light boards with less thick stringers to save weight, but the chances of breakage increase. We suggest 3/16" (6mm) Bass(wood) on boards above 6'08", 1/4" (8mm) on 7'06" and above, and usually always 3/8" (12mm) Bass on longboards. (A good test of quality is the width of stringer in a longboard - the thicker ones cost considerably more as the length increases). Watch out for cheaper milled ply, which is peeled and does not always offer strength savings. Common in imported surfboards or in surfboards that are machine shaped.

 

Our 4mm Ply now comes coloured. High density foam stringers, seperated by wooden stringers, are possible in all surfboards. Triple stringers, curved stringers, combinations of stringers such as bass and redwood add class to a board (at some expense). Stringers glued together to form a strong laminate are called T-bands. These add extra strength for any given width, for example 2 x 1/8" (4mm) T-Band is far stronger than a 1/4" (8mm) stringer.  

 

Boards, like Quiver, are made in a unique new process than enables us to add strength in ways other than by a stringer, or by using lightweight stringers such as balsa. However, this is a process not freely available, and we sincerely suggest you specify thicker stringers in other makes of boards.  

 

Parabolic Stringers scribe a parabolic arc along the rails of surfboards different for each length of board, and are set for pre-determined flex patterns. They are bent to form a shape that offers very different strength and flex patterns to a surfboard. Difficult to fix to the blank as the blank has first to be cut in a parabolic arc, the wooden stringer is hand bent and hand glued to fit. It must also follow the rocker line of the board - very difficult as the rocker is usually set by the centre stringer. Only one company in the world has refined the parabolic process - US Blanks in the USA.